Midori's happiness (Chapter 1)
by JCattail914
Summary: Two years after they graduate high school, Mochi breaks up with Tamako. Tamako is a heartbroken mess. Will this be a new chance for Midori's love for her friend to blossom?


It has been two years since Midori and their friends graduated high school. Mochi moved to Tokyo for college and only ever comes home for summer and Christmas break. Kanna moved to another city to study engineering, while Shiori is still in town with Midori and Tamako.

Tamako is still helping out in her family's Mochi shop in the Usagi Shopping District,which is why she and Midori still see each other from time to time whenever Midori helps her grandfather run the toy shop.

After the events at the train station two years ago, Mochi and Tamako have been dating. Tamako would sometimes visit Mochi and they would spend all their time together whenever Mochi came home for vacation.

When the two decided to start dating, Midori decided to give up on Tamako after talking it out with Kanna before she left for college. Since then, she has done her best to be a supportive friend.

It was all going well until one night as Midori was just stepping out of the shower, her phone was ringing. She was surprised to see that it was Tamako calling. She picks up her phone to a crying Tamako on the other end.

"Tamako? What's wrong?"  
"M-Midori-chan, can you come out by the stream tonight?"  
"I-uh-sure, but what's going on?"

"Just please be there in 20 minutes."

"Al-"

Midori wasn't able to finish her reply as Tamako hung up on her without another word. She stared at her phone's screen for a while thinking what just happened before grabbing her jacket and running to the stream.

As she rounded the corner, a million thoughts were rushing through her head. What happened? Why was Tamako crying? She was just out to see Mochi a few weeks ago and- Midori's heart nearly stopped as she thought: " _could Tamako be pregnant?"_

She shook her head and fought back against these thoughts as she continued on her way to meet Tamako.

When she got to their meetup point, she saw Tamako sitting by the steps near the water, her head on her knees, visibly sobbing.

Midori rushed to Tamako and sat down next to her and put an arm around her shoulders. "Tamako?"

Tamako looked up at her friend. Her eyes were red from crying. Through her tears she was able to say "Midori-chan" in the smallest voice Midori has ever heard her use.

"What happened? What's wrong?" She asked the crying girl as she looked over Tamako's face. Tamako just started crying again and hid her face on Midori's chest. Taken aback, Midori could do nothing more than to hold her friend let her cry it out.

When Tamako calmed down a bit, she let go of Midori and wiped her tears, hiccupping every once in a while. "Ready to talk?" Midori asked timidly, offering her friend a handkerchief.

Tamako nodded silently as she accepted Midori's offer and wiped her nose with it. "I-It's Mochi."

Just hearing this was already confirming Midori's worst fears. "Oh. Oh God. Are you pregnant?" She said, as she gripped Tamako's shoulders and looked at her intently. Tamako just looked at her with a confused expression and said: "w-hat? No! I'm not pregnant Midori." and she freed herself from her grip.

Midori on the other hand, felt a sense of relief go through her upon hearing these words. "Then what's going on? Why did you call me out here? What happened?" She looked at her friend and studied her face, trying to get an idea of what was happening.

Tamako sniffeed and said: "Mochi is breaking up with me." As soon as she said this, she immediately started crying again. Midori was so shocked by the news that she froze for a second before holding Tamako again.

"I-wha…" She was lost for words. "Why all of a sudden?"

Through hiccups and sobs, Tamako was able to tell her story little by little. "H-he met someone in his u-university. And that they were in love…. And… and….. Midori-chan!" Tamako hid her face on Midori's chest as her cries were muffled by Midori's shirt.

All Midori could do was hold her friend close as she tried to process what was happening before her. " _Mochi and Tamako…. Broke up."_ She kept thinking this over and over as she tried to calm down her friend who was still visibly upset.

After sometime, Tamako was able to calm down and she sat there staring at the waters with Midori holding her hand. Tamako couldn't help but look over by the spot where Mochi confessed his love, and how she fell into the water that day. And as she reminisced, she could feel her heart visibly break, and the tears form in her eyes.

Midori stayed silent, as she had no words to comfort her friend. Instead, she just sat there as Tamako silently wept.

Tamako eventually felt up to tell Midori about what happened. She said that Mochi was starting to lose interest in her for a while now. But she said that she passed it off as him feeling exhausted with school.

But when she visited him in Tokyo for a few days the month before, she said that he felt cold and was easily annoyed in every little thing. He was also very impatient with Tamako.

This was when Tamako sat him down and they had a talk about their relationship. Tamako told him that he was hurting her and that she feels like she's being shunned. But Mochi just brushed everything off saying that he was just tired and didn't really feel like doing much of anything.

The following day when he took Tamako to the train station, he told her that he wanted a break so he can figure out his own feelings and thoughts. Tamako felt her heart break a little, so she asked him if they were alright. Mochi looked into her eyes, held her hands, smiled and told her not to worry, that they will make it through this.

Then after two weeks of no communication, Mochi calls Tamako and tells her he doesn't feel the same way anymore and that he wanted to break up with her. Poor Tamako was confident that they will be okay, that there was no problem between them.

Mochi talked about a girl in his class and how they got along very well. And how he was sorry for doing what he did before finally hanging up on Tamako and their love.

After hearing the story, Midori, whose feelings for Tamako have just gone away, were slowly coming back. She felt the urge to go to Tokyo on the first train and hit him over the head. But she knew Tamako needed her more.

Over the horizon, the dark sky was slowly turning orange. The sun was rising, and they have spent an entire evening by the stream. This was when the two decided to walk back to their houses.

They got up and started walking through the streets hand in hand. No one was awake yet, and they were relishing the silence of the early morning.

Midori walked Tamako all the way to her house. She looked at Tamako and said "Will you be okay today?" Tamako simply smiled and said "yes. Thank you for spending tonight with me, Midori-chan. It means a lot."

Midori felt her face grow warm at Tamako's words. "Ah eh, it's nothing. That's what friends are for, right? He he" She looked at her friend seriously and added "But if you ever need a friend, I am always here,Tamako. Just call me, okay?"

Tamako nodded and continued to smile. "Thank you, Midori-chan. I'll see you later. I have to get upstairs before they realize I've been gone all night." She leaned in and gave Midori a quick hug before going inside her house.

Midori stood there for a while as she processed the events of the night before. This was when an intruding thought crept into her mind: " _You finally have a chance with her!"_

She shook her head as if the thought would leave if she did that. " _What am I thinking?!"_ she thought to herself. " _This is not the time for that. Plus, I don't like her like that anymore."_

Midori turned around and started making her way back home, thinking about what the future held for her and Tamako.


End file.
